1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting assembly for electrical switching elements, and more particularly, to an improved mounting assembly for mounting together a pair of opposed switching elements, typically high-voltage fuses or disconnect blades, each pair of elements being supported by only three insulators instead of the usual four insulators.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous mounting assemblies for electrical switching elements are well known. While the configuration of such mounting assemblies widely varies, the majority of them have a common characteristic, namely, for each element so mounted, two insulators are utilized. Generally speaking, a first insulator is connected between a first support point on a first element and a structural base. A second insulator is connected between a second support point on the element and the same or a different base. Where it is desirable to oppositely mount pairs of elements, it is generally the case that each element utilizes two insulators. Accordingly, each oppositely mounted pair of elements utilizes four insulators. All of the above is true whether the switching elements are mounted within an enclosure or not.
In an enclosure, where the utilization of space and alignment of the switching elements is crucial, prior art mounting assemblies exhibit at least three deficiencies. The first deficiency is related to the cruciality of spacing and alignment. With each element having two support points (a total of four) and with each support point being mounted to an insulator (also a total of four), the chance of misalignment of any one of the insulators and, accordingly, of any one of the support points of the elements is rather great. Additionally, prior art assemblies using four insulators per device require rather large amounts of space, which may cause difficulty if the devices are to be in an enclosure. A second deficiency occurs when prior art mounting assemblies are used to mount elements in an enclosure, having cramped quarters. Specifically, when four insulators must be attached at four different places in the cramped enclosure for each pair of elements, much labor cost is expended. A third deficiency in prior art switching element mounting assemblies, within an enclosure or not, is cost- and labor-related. Specifically, and as a general rule, it may be stated that the more insulators used to mount switching elements, the greater will be the final assembly cost, due to both material usage and labor expenditure.